Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Swim of Things ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The Swim of Things
By Ret Nuh
 
 
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and all its characters are owned by Gainax. If requested by them I will remove this story from publication.
 
This story takes place approximately two years after Third Impact. Most people actually had enough sense to come back but not all. For the people of Tokyo-3 collectively though there was a bigger problem than worrying about the few that failed to return, namely they had no place to live. All that was left of Tokyo-3 was a deep hole in the ground. The weird thing about it though was the fact that it was very deep so all the water in the surrounding area drained into it. This process in return drained Old Tokyo and New Tokyo. Most of those two cities were already abandoned due to past flooding so the Tokyo-3 residents annexed it and rebuilt the area. So now there is Tokyo-4, a nice sprawling city that is experiencing moderate growth and is situated in the remains of Old Tokyo and New Tokyo along with Tokyo-3, which is a giant inland sea. As with most things that inspire awe it has become a giant tourist trap. It was stocked with fish, ringed with beaches, and surrounded by a multitude of overpriced resorts. (A/N: You can't get more typical than that.)
 
But very little of that is actually important to this story. The gang is all back together for the most part and the kids are back in school. Life is also a little bit better for them. Of course how could it not be? They don't have any giant beings trying to kick the crap out of them anymore and the idiots who started the whole mess in the first place are still floating around in a mass of red goo somewhere near the South Pole. Added to this I have brought in a character that isn't really canon (A/N: In my opinion at least) as she is from a silly video game that I don't really understand and couldn't care less about. That of course would be Mana (AN: Don't expect much out of her by the way.) Also my pretty pre-reader said I should point out that I brought back some other characters. The first two are Rei and Karowu, but more than likely you people already knew that. Also I brought back Kaji. Mainly because he is one of my favorite characters and he is essential in making one of my other favorite characters happy. A happy Misato is a good Misato in my book.
 
Now for a bit of poison pen. I am writing this fan fiction because I want to. I do not want or need ideas or suggestions on how it could be made better beyond grammatical and structural issues. This is my story and I am the author so I will write whatever I damn well want to and if you have a problem with that you can bite me you hosers. Now Good Day. (A/N: Crass, rude, and crude I know but at least I am honest. And lately this seems like it is the only way to get people to understand that the author is the author and not the reader.)
 
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It was early in the school year and Shinji was sitting on the bleachers high above the pool. He was in his usual place, top of the bleachers right in the middle. Added to his appearance was a pair of sunglasses that he wore to shade his eyes from the bright pool lights and a pair of earphones plugged into his ears. He sat there with his head slightly tilted downwards almost like he was looking at something below.
 
Down in the pool area the girls were practicing their swimming. Hikari was already part of the swim team from before Third Impact and now so was Asuka. Misato needed to find an activity for Asuka to do when everyone was moved back in and things settled down so she gave her an option. Asuka could get an after school job or she could join her friend Hikari on the swim team. Asuka put up a fight at first but eventually chose to join Hikari as that was the less bothersome of the two options. Thanks to her physical aptitude she became a district champion in her first year and that got her some notoriety so she decided to come back for a second.
 
Shinji was there because Misato told him to be. She was sick and tired of his moping around the house all the time and gave him the same option as Asuka. Join a sports club or get a job. He decided to get a job, that was last year though. He has since been fired twice for spacing out and not doing his job. Misato's grandiose plan of getting the two of them to act like normal teenagers was going swimmingly for Asuka but Shinji was fouling up the pool. So at the beginning of the school year she told him he couldn't come home from school till Asuka did, hoping that somehow this would force him to get a life. She knew she was grasping at straws at this point but from first hand experience she knew that stranger things have happened.
 
Asuka had just finished a sprint and looked up at the coach. “Good job Asuka. That's the best time today.”
 
Asuka smiled back arrogantly “Of course it is. I am after all the great Asuka Langley Sohryu.” She then got out of the pool and grabbed a towel to dry off. She looked up into the stands to see who was witness to her triumph only to be disappointed. Like always the only people she saw were Shinji in his usual spot, along with some parents, a teammate's boyfriend or two, a group of girls who chose the pool area as their afternoon hang out spot, and the annoying gray haired boy that sat with them. And worse of all was the usual two pervs that were sitting in the first row almost hanging over the front railing, Kensuke and Touji. She knew Touji was there to “support” Hikari and Kensuke was there to gawk at all the other girls in swimsuits. As she looked at the two stooges a wicked idea popped into her head. She dipped the end of her towel into the pool to get it wet and then twisted it up nice and tight. She then walked by Hikari and oh so casually dropped her nose plugs. Finally she snuck over to where she would be directly under the two stooges and called out “Hey Hikari! I dropped my nose plugs. Can you toss them over to me?” Hikari nodded yes and bent over to pick them up. As she did Asuka looked up at Touji and saw he was leaning over the railing and practically drooling at the sight. She got a wicked smile on her face and rat tailed him right upside the head with a loud snap while yelling “Back Simba, Back.”
 
Touji yelled out an “Owww…” as he fell backwards onto his ass. He then rubbed his forehead and yelled at Asuka “Fucking A, Red! Would you stop doing that!!!”
 
Asuka was too busy laughing at him to answer.
 
Hikari saw what she did and walked over. “Are you ok Touji?”
 
“Yeah” he grumbled back glaring at the laughing red head.
 
Hikari then looked over at Asuka and gave her back the nose plugs. “Will you please stop rat tailing my boyfriend?”
 
“But you should have seen his face when you bent over” Asuka said while still laughing. “He so deserved it.”
 
“He can look at me if he wants too” Hikari blushed.
 
“Aww, you're too easy on the stooge” Asuka said. “He needs discipline or he will get out of control on you.”
 
“Relationships are not about control” Hikari told her. “They're about love.”
 
Asuka just shook her head at Hikari and said “You have so much to learn.”
 
Kensuke spoke up and intruded into the conversation at this point. “The only thing she could learn from you is how to be a bitch and walk out during a date.”
 
“Well if I could find someone good enough for me, I wouldn't have to do that.” Asuka said challenging him. Kensuke stepped up to the challenge but when he put his hands on the railing to try and get in her face she rat tailed him. “It's like taking candy from a baby” she laughed.
 
Kensuke just grumbled out a “Screw You!” as he sat back down. It wasn't the rat tail that hurt him as much as how easily he fell for that. Usually it took much more work for Asuka to get him.
 
Asuka said to the two stooges as they were both sitting down now in where she thought they should be. “If you two had any brains at all you'd be sitting out of my reach like Ikari does.”
 
Touji and Kensuke looked up at him with Touji saying “But we can see better down here.” And Kensuke adding “Plus we got enough balls to freely stare at you girls down here without shading our eyes.”
 
Asuka looked up at Shinji and scoffed “Please… you're giving him way too much credit. He doesn't even have the balls to look at us.”
 
“He's doing it right now” Kensuke teased. “And it looks like he's looking right at you.”
 
“As if” Asuka said sarcastically. “The wuss is asleep.”
 
“I don't know about that. I think Kensuke is right.” Hikari said to Asuka “He's definitely staring at you.”
 
“Oh yeah” Asuka challenged “Watch this” and she chucked her nose plugs up at him. They ended up smacking Shinji squarely in the face, startling him. They then saw Shinji take of his glasses and blink a couple times before rubbing his eyes while looking around confused. “See I told you he was sleeping.” Asuka bragged.
 
Karowu saw Asuka do this and walked over to Shinji. He sat down next to him and asked “Are you ok Shinji?… Do you want me to take you to the nurse's office?”
 
A shiver ran down Shinji's spine when Karowu said that. If there was one thing Asuka and he could agree on it was Karowu. He was a deceptive little shit who would say anything to get what he wanted.
 
Asuka could tell Shinji was getting very uncomfortable up there with Karowu and she didn't really blame him so she tossed him a lifeline as she yelled “Sorry about that baka Shinji. I was just proving a point to some nosey people who don't know to shut their traps. Bring me down my nose plugs will ya?”
 
Shinji looked down at the ground and picked up the nose plugs by his feet. He totally ignored the offer of Karowu bringing them down for him as he walked away from the gray haired jerk. Once he got down to the first row he threw the nose plugs to Asuka and looked around at the people in the area. Both Kensuke and Touji seemed to have guilty faces. Shinji let out one of his typical sighs and said “Next time you argue with Asuka, leave me out of it.” He then shifted his attention over to Asuka “Is practice almost over with yet?”
 
“We still have over an hour, so go back to sleep” Asuka said with a roll of her eyes. But as Shinji turned to walk back up Asuka's wicked little smile returned. Why not go for the trifecta of stooges, but her rat tail was stopped. Asuka turned around to see who had grabbed her towel and stopped her and it was Mana. She was shaking her head no at Asuka.
 
Shinji was oblivious to all this as he continued up the steps towards his usual spot. Unfortunately for him Karowu was still sitting there waiting for him so he sat on the right side of the bleachers and put his sunglasses back on followed by a pair of earphones being put back into their original position as well.
 
Asuka looked over at Mana a bit crossed “Why'd you stop me?”
 
“Because he's different from the other two” Mana answered. “He doesn't deserve it.”
 
Asuka looked at her confused “What you see in that baka I will never understand.”
 
Mana said back “He's nice and kind and kinda cute.” She then added on in a condescending way “Plus he thinks I love him.”
 
Asuka just shook her head at Mana “You're as bad as Karowu with that shit. Why can't you guys just leave him alone?”
 
“Why? It's not like you care about him” Mana replied with a touch of attitude.
 
“You're right, I don't” Asuka sassed back. “But I'm the one who has to go home with the baka.”
 
“So what?” Kensuke said.
 
“Sooooo…” Asuka said back “Whenever you two start up on him with that lovey-dovey shit he gets all weirded out and doesn't want to talk to anybody.”
 
“I figured you would like that.” Touji shot back.
 
“I do” Asuka answered. “But I don't like it that he does it by locking himself in his room and refusing to come out.” The others weren't following her drift so she sighed and muttered “Simpletons” before elaborating. “If he locks himself in his room he doesn't make dinner. And if he doesn't make dinner, I have to. Now listen closely because this is the important part. I Hate Cooking!”
 
The reaction to this was a general roll of the eyes as it just sounded like another stupid Asuka complaint. Except for Hikari, she gave Asuka a little glare of disproval.
 
The whole conversation was interrupted as everyone heard the coach say “Good job Miss Ayanami. You made the team.”
 
“Oh great.” Asuka grumbled “It's bad enough Misato made her try out for the team. She had to make it too?” She watched as Rei got out of the pool and wrapped a towel around herself before bowing respectfully to the coach. Rei then walked around the edge of the pool and as she passed by the girls, Hikari congratulated her. Asuka also congratulated Rei but in her own way “Just stay out of my way Blue… and remember whose number one here.” Rei coldly nodded her head yes to that and made her way over to a bench to sit down. Hikari looked at Asuka disapprovingly again. This time Asuka responded with a perturbed “What?”
 
“She's on the team now Asuka. Don't you think you could cut her some slack?”
 
Asuka answered Hikari with a simple “No” and then noticed Mana was trying to get Shinji's attention by blowing kisses at him. “What part of I Hate Cooking didn't you understand?” Asuka growled and pushed Mana into the pool.
 
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When practice was over Shinji left right away. Asuka got home about fifteen minutes later only to see his door closed. She marched right up to it and started banging on it “Shinji Ikari get your ass out here right now!!!” When that didn't work she followed it up with a whine. “C'mon Shinji, I don't want to make dinner tonight.” This met with the same results as her yelling and Shinji didn't come out so Asuka yelled at him again and pounded on his door some more.
 
“You've got about as much of a chance of getting Shinji out that way as I have of getting Keiko to eat these strained peas” Misato said to her from the kitchen area.
 
Asuka looked over at Misato and knew she was right. Her attempts to get him out worked so rarely that it wasn't even worth the effort. She walked over to where Misato was trying to feed her 15 month old baby girl, causing Keiko to reach out from her chair and cry out “Asa Asa.” This forced even Asuka to smile and feel better.
 
But Misato told her little one “You can play with Auntie Asuka later. Right now you have to eat your peas.”
 
“No.”
 
“Please… For mommy?” Misato pleaded with the obstinate child.
 
“No.”
 
“Look, mommy likes it” Misato said and pretended to eat some while rubbing her belly. Keiko didn't buy it for a second as she responded with a “Pbbbbbt.” Misato got another idea and called PenPen over. She shoved a spoonful of the baby food into the penguin's mouth while saying “See PenPen likes it.” No sooner than she said that though did PenPen urk and fall over sideways. “It's not that bad!” She yelled at the penguin. Keiko of course thought that was funny causing Misato to let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine you win” and she then threw the jar in the trash. She looked over at Asuka “Grab me a jar of the sweet potatoes please.”
 
Asuka laughed at her a little while going over to the cabinet and said “Serves you right” as she brought the new jar over.
 
“I had nothing to do with you having to make dinner” Misato said. “You know the rules.”
 
“Not that” Asuka answered. “I already know who to blame for that. I was talking about making Rei try out for the swim team.”
 
“So she made it?” Misato asked.
 
“Of course she made it.” Asuka huffed angrily. “It's bad enough that she has to live in that studio apartment down the hall, but did you have to make her try out for my team?”
 
“Asuka she's living there so I can keep an eye on her” Misato answered. “God knows no one else will. And I chose the swim team because she's already familiar with a lot of the girls on it. Plus maybe it will open her up some more.”
 
“Whatever” Asuka replied snidely and started to make some dinner while a more cooperative Keiko ate hers, making Misato a happy mommy.
 
“So what set Shinji off this time?” Misato asked while Asuka was taking out a casserole dish.
 
“Karowu and Mana, again.” Asuka said “I wish they would just leave him alone.”
 
“Why? What business is it of yours?”
 
“None I guess… but that Karowu is such a fake. He acts so nice and friendly around Shinji but it's all for his own goals.” Asuka said
 
“Maybe Shinji is his goal.” Misato replied.
 
“If it was I wouldn't care. But he does it so all the other girls can see him do it. Then they think he is so nice and sensitive and all get schoolgirl crushes on him. But if there are no girls around, he won't even give Shinji the time of day. The only thing that jerk is interested in is getting into a pair of skanky panties.”
 
“So that makes him pretty much just a normal teenage boy” Misato responded to Asuka's complaint.
 
Asuka wouldn't even give him that as she said out loud “He's a fucking asshole.” She then covered her mouth and quickly said sorry as a glare from a mother who didn't like people swearing in front of her child was aimed straight at her.
 
Misato stared at her for a second longer before asking “What about Mana? She seems to genuinely like him and she has called over here once or twice.”
 
Asuka replied very quickly to that as she blurted out “She's all wrong for him.”
 
Misato knew exactly what that kind of answer meant but she didn't say anything. She wasn't going to force anything and try and play matchmaker between the two. She may have known Asuka and Shinji shared a bond that neither of them would admit to but it was up to them to figure it out. Although her patience in that area was growing awfully short so she let out a little sigh while she fed Keiko and Asuka threw dinner in the oven.
 
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After Practice ended the next day Shinji got up to leave. But as he was heading out the door to the pool area the coach put up the relay squads list. He decided to walk over and take a look. In a rare display true feeling he muttered out “Unfuckingbelievable.” That pretty much got the attention of everyone there, which unfortunately included Karowu. Shinji wasn't exactly someone who cursed all that much. In fact he wasn't someone who talked a whole lot in general.
 
“Is something the matter my dear friend?” Karowu asked walking up to him.
 
This made Shinji's flesh crawl and he grumbled “Get lost Karowu. My life sucks enough without helping you get laid.” And Shinji walked off towards home.
 
Karowu though walked back over to the girls he was hanging around with and said “Sometimes he's just so emotionally confused. That's why it doesn't bother me when he says such things.”
 
When Shinji got home he told Misato “Your plans suck.”
 
Misato looked at him strangely “What're you griping about now?”
 
“Did you know Rei was a good swimmer?”
 
“Yes” Misato answered. “That's one of the reasons I had her try out for the team.”
 
Shinji continued. “She made one of the relay teams.”
 
“Good for her” Misato said and then asked “Which one?”
 
“The first one.” Shinji answered still not wanting it to be true himself.
 
Misato dropped the jar of baby food she was holding. “This is not good.”
 
Keiko got startled by the crashing jar and the change in her mommy's appearance and started crying.
 
Misato quickly picked her little one up “It's alright honey. Nothing's the matter.” Keiko kept crying though and Misato looked over to Shinji for a little help. “It's ok Keiko, Uncle Shinji will clean up the mess and we'll get you another jar.” Keiko's crying lightened up to a slight sniffle and Misato put her back in her highchair. Misato then got another jar of food while Shinji cleaned up the mess.
 
While cleaning it up Shinji asked “What were you thinking?”
 
“I clearly wasn't” Misato answered. “I never thought in a million years she would make Asuka's team.”
 
Shinji let out a little snicker. “I was talking about trying to get Keiko to eat strained peas again. This stuff smells horrible.”
 
Misato looked at him with chagrin for his little joke before explaining “Well, I got a really good deal on them at the grocery store. I have to at least try.” Keiko then started sticking her tongue out and playing with the food. “No no honey. Baby food goes in the mouth, not on mommy's blouse.” Shinji snickered at Misato a bit more for that motherly nature. “Oh hush Shinji. And get to work on dinner.”
 
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Asuka took her time in the locker room getting changed. She already knew she had the fastest times so it would be no surprise to her that she would be number one on the list. That also meant she was team captain, which was another thing she wanted. It wasn't good enough for her to just be the best she also wanted to be the boss. When she was good and ready she made her way through the locker room towards the door with an arrogant little walk. Everyone else already knew who was number one she just wanted to prove it. She looked up at the list and smirked at the other girls as her name was at the top. She was happy to see that Hikari had made it all the way up to number two, which would mean she was on her team this year. Last year Hikari only got as far as number five so they never got to be teammates. Number three on the list was Mana. Mana was a bit of a pest to her but she had some good times so it was all right. The number four name made her twitch. The surrounding girls all noticed and backed away from her. Numbers one thru four made up the first relay team, which meant they would be practicing together most of the time as it was the primary team to compete in all the relay events. Who the coach had put down for number four though was simply unacceptable and she violently ripped the sheet off the wall. Many of the other girls protested this action as they wanted to see what team they had made but Asuka told them all to fuck off as she stomped her way towards the coach's office. She slammed the door to the office as hard as she could when she got there.
 
The coach looked up at her from her desk “Something the matter Asuka?”
 
“What the hell is she doing on my team?!” Asuka screamed while pointing at the name in the number four spot and then threw the list onto the coach's desk.
 
The coach simply explained “Ayanami's the fourth member because she has the fourth highest aggregate times.”
 
“I don't give a shit if she does!” Asuka yelled. “She's not allowed on my team!”
 
The coach stood up from her desk and since she was an adult she loomed over Asuka a bit. In a quite authoritative voice she lectured her “I am the coach. I make the teams. You may be the star and my captain but I'm the boss, not you.” Asuka responded to this with a frustrated scream and tried to storm out of the office but the coach stopped her with a grab of the shoulder. “You know Asuka, Ayanami has a good chance to improve herself and if she does that will make your team stronger. And I'm not just talking about getting past the district championship, we could get to Regionals this year or even maybe the Nationals.”
 
Asuka didn't know what pissed her off more. That Rei Ayanami was going to be on her team or the fact that what the coach had just said was true. This new team she was on was much stronger than last years. She stood there twitching for a second before growling out an indistinct German curse and leaving. Asuka grabbed her book bag and then stormed out of the locker room.
 
In the hall Hikari and Touji were flirting with each other when they saw Asuka come back out no happier than when she went in. Hikari tried to talk to her but Asuka just blew her off as she stomped down the hall. Hikari walked back to Touji and said nervously “I sure hope the coach knows what she's doing… because I certainly don't.”
 
Touji replied by getting a little cough and saying “I think I'm coming down with something. I'd better skip school tomorrow.”
 
This was responded to with a very dirty look and a “If I've got to put up with her tomorrow so do you.”
 
Touji let out a little whine “Why can't you have a normal best friend and not a psycho?”
 
Hikari gave him a playful slap on the arm for that and they walked down the hall together to leave school.
 
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When Asuka got home she was still steaming. She was just looking for someone to let out all her anger and frustration on. Like always she had already chosen her victim, Shinji. Unfortunately when she found him he was making dinner and worse yet he wasn't alone. He was giving Keiko little pieces of dinner while he prepared it and Keiko was cooing “Shini mo, Shini mo.” (A/N: Translation: Shinji more) This was a bad thing as she knew if she went over there and ripped into Shinji it would cause Keiko to start crying which in turn would get Misato angry and her life was crappy enough as it was without that happening. This left only one alterative and Asuka started cursing and grumbling to herself as she made her way over to her room so she could slam the door and curse to herself about how everyone was against her. When she got to her room though she saw Misato standing there waiting for her.
 
“Thank you for not yelling around Keiko” Misato started. “Now if you want to talk about this I'm here. But this isn't going to be a yelling match, understand?”
 
“I take it that baka already told you?” Asuka growled.
 
“Yes Shinji did… and I'm glad he did.” Misato answered.
 
“He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut” Asuka hissed.
 
With a bit of force to her voice Misato responded “Don't you dare try to make this his fault, you know it isn't.”
 
“You're right” Asuka said as her eyebrows furrowed. “It's that blue haired bitch's fault.”
 
Misato grabbed Asuka by the arm and warned “Don't you dare even think about it Asuka.”
 
“Why not, it is.” Asuka shouted back.
 
“Keep your voice down” Misato snapped and then explained. “If it's anyone's fault it's mine. I'm the one who made Rei try out for the team and I'm the one who instructed her to do her best. She was simply doing as I told her.”
 
Asuka grumbled at that and then collapsed onto her bed face down. Misato was one of the very few people she trusted and knew cared about her. That made Misato unblamable to Asuka. Plus she knew she couldn't blame Misato for something she didn't know was going to happen. Anyone else yes, but not Misato. Misato was only trying to get Rei to open up some more not on her team. This day was going from bad to worse and she let out a scream into her pillow. Misato sat down on Asuka's bed and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
 
After a couple deep breaths and with some restraint present in her voice Asuka told her “I just need to be mad about this for a while. I'm going to go to the mall so I can clear my head.”
 
“Ok” Misato replied “But I want you home by bedtime and tomorrow I don't want any incidents, got it?”
 
“Got it.” Asuka answered more because she knew she had to than she was going to listen to it. Misato then left her room and Asuka changed out of her school clothes into something she would be more comfortable wandering around in. As she was putting her shoes on and getting ready to leave she went to grab her keys. But she stopped as she spied another pair of keys on the rack. Even though Rei did not live with them and she took care of herself, Misato had a pair of keys to her apartment as she was Rei's legal guardian. Misato respected Rei's privacy for the most part as she only checked up on her a couple times a week to see that everything was all right. Asuka's ideas for those keys were basically the opposite of that. If Rei was going to have to be on her team she wanted to make sure that Wöndergirl knew her place.
 
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Asuka didn't even knock, she just waltzed right into Rei's apartment like she owned it. The first thing she saw was Rei sitting in a chair reading a book, not even paying attention to who entered.
 
Rei didn't even stop reading when she heard the door open. There was only one other person that had a key to her place so she said plainly “Hello Mrs. Katsuragi. I have no problems at this time.” Normally Misato would just say “that's good” and look around a bit. And after she found everything satisfactory she would see if Rei wanted to talk, which she never did, and then go home. This time was different though. This time a slender finger placed itself on the top of her book and pushed it down. Rei quickly found herself staring into a glare from angry blue eyes.
 
“Oh but you do.” Asuka hissed at her.
 
Rei took a nervous swallow and tried to ignore her as she brought the book back up in front of her face. But Asuka made sure that didn't happen as she grabbed the book and threw it across the room. She then got right in Rei's face and said “I just wanted to come over and Welcome my newest teammate” in a voice that clearly meant the opposite.
 
Rei responded with “It was not my decision. I am just doing what I was told to.” Inside though she was worried. Asuka was an unstable and unpredictable element in her life. She had no clue whether Asuka had come over to make her quit the team, something she didn't really want to do, or yell at her or threaten her or even if she was planning something on the more violent side of things. She knew Asuka was bred, born, and raised to be a fighter and had no problems proving it. The scuffles the red head had at school last year were testaments to that.
 
Asuka continued to glare at Rei “You don't always have to do as you are told.” Rei continued to sit in her chair and tried her hardest to ignore Asuka as this was not a confrontation she wanted. Asuka though continued. “I was told to leave you alone.” Asuka then pushed Rei's head back with her finger “But I'm not going to.”
 
Rei stood up and pointed to her door “Y-you are not welcomed here. I would appreciate it if you left now.”
 
Asuka pushed Rei back down in her chair hard. “There's not a snowballs chance in hell of that happening you blue haired bitch.” Asuka yelled and then raised her hand to strike her.
 
There was a slap. Asuka backed off and Rei stood up defiantly “I- I will defend myself.”
 
Asuka rubbed the side of her cheek and smiled nastily. “Good that's just what I wanted” and she charged at Rei.
 
Rei tried to put up something of a fight but even she knew she was no match for Asuka. It was a futile attempt and in less than a minute Rei found herself pinned to the ground on her stomach with Asuka's knee in her back and her arm being wrenched behind her back. Rei let out a little cry of pain as Asuka continued to twist the arm further. But then as quickly as the pain started it stopped. She felt the weight on her back lift off and heard Asuka scream out in pure frustration “Why the fuck doesn't this feel good?” Rei turned around and looked at Asuka and was very confused along with being frightened. Asuka screamed at her again “I'm supposed to beat the shit out of you, put you in your rightful place, and maybe even make you quit the team. Then I will feel better.” Asuka screamed at herself again “Why isn't it working?” She then grabbed a lamp.
 
Rei curled up into as tight of a ball as she could so she would be as small of a target as possible. She then heard a loud crash. But as she looked at herself there was nothing around her. She had to look towards the opposite wall to see the shattered remains of the lamp on the floor.
 
Asuka was just standing there seething in anger. She made her way over to the chair Rei use to be sitting in and collapsed down into it. Rei sat up now looking at her completely confused. Asuka let out a loud sigh and asked “Why are we always linked together?” Rei did not answer her and Asuka lightened up her appearance. “You don't have to worry anymore. I'm not going to attack you again. There's no point to it.”
 
Rei got up and cautiously made her way over to the other chair opposite Asuka. She sat down in the chair and said “I do not understand your question.”
 
“Neither do I.” Asuka answered leaning her head back and closing her eyes. “Everything in my life is so confusing right now. Things I was so sure of before I don't have a clue about anymore. Things are constantly changing around me, people are constantly changing around me, and everything seems to be changing around me, hell even I'm changing.”
 
“Change is a way of life.” Rei calmly told her.
 
“I know that. But I don't want some things to change” Asuka sighed. “Take you for example. You've always been the thorn in my side, my enemy, my competition. Now once again we're on the same team and just like before the team needs you.” Asuka opened her eyes and saw a look of shock and confusion come over Rei's face. “Never thought you would hear the great Asuka Langley Sohryu say something like that, did you?”
 
Rei didn't even answer her. Something was clearly happening here but it was something she had never dealt with before so Rei didn't know what to do.
 
Asuka continued on “Do you know what pissed me off the most Ayanami?”
 
Rei hesitantly shook he head no.
 
“Your times” Asuka answered. “They are very similar to mine last year and you're only going to get better.”
 
“Will that not make the team better?” Rei asked.
 
“Of course it will” Asuka answered. “Not only better but we are bound to get more fame and recognition than the team I was on last year.”
 
“I do not care about those things.” Rei commented.
 
“But I do and you know that” Asuka said to her and continued with the thought while looking right at her. “In fact I get the feeling you know me very well. And even if I don't like it I know you very well. That was forced upon us. We had no choice but to reveal our true nature during third impact.”
 
Third Impact was a touchy subject for most people, especially for those most involved. No one else remembered what really happened during it, just bits and incoherent pieces. Most only remember coming out of the sea feeling very lost and confused. But Asuka, Shinji, and Rei remembered everything. They were uniquely linked together during it because of their Evagelions, Yui, and Lilith. Rei shirked in her chair uncomfortably. When Shinji had made his decision she had made hers and that is the last time she ever wanted to think about it. Rei tried not to reveal her true emotions but they slipped out as she stumbled over her words anxiously “I- I don't want to talk about… that.”
 
Asuka smiled at her a bit. “Sorry but we have to. We need to clear the air about it. Trust me I don't really want to talk about it either because I learned something during it that I didn't want to. And it involves you. You're not the emotionless boring doll I believed you to be and worse yet you're not even my competition.”
 
Rei looked at Asuka not knowing what expression to show her. She was totally lost at this point but knew she shouldn't stop Asuka, this was something that was very important not only for Asuka to say but for Rei to hear.
 
Asuka continued “It was so much easier to hate you back then. I was the best and you and Shinji were beneath me. Then everything changed… I fell from my pedestal and was forced to look up at you. You were trying to take everything from me. You were so easy to hate for that. Everything was your fault. It wasn't me, it was you. But then the truth struck and I couldn't handle it.” Asuka looked down at her wrists and saw the little scars. They were the only real scar she had brought back with her. “In the end you were stronger than me. You gave up your life to protect the others while I tried to throw mine away because I was feeling sorry for myself. I ran like the frightened little girl I truly was… at least when Shinji ran he always came back. But when I ran I tried to make sure I couldn't.” Asuka looked directly at Rei and asked “Why did I do that?”
 
This was a question Rei knew the answer to. “You were feeling lost, confused, lonely, and rejected.” She answered that very softly as these were feeling she was struggling with herself. They were far too familiar to her and they still hurt her.
 
Asuka smirked at her. “See I told you we were linked.”
 
Rei didn't really want to but she nodded yes to that. Asuka was absolutely right about those feelings and they shared a lion's share of them. And most of all Rei could tell that is what Asuka was feeling right now.
 
“We were given a second chance though” Rei responded.
 
Asuka let out a very big sigh. “Yes we were. And all thanks to the invincible Shinji. He always had to come to our rescue and save our cute little asses. And in the end he did it again. But how did I repay him? I showed him my heart to calm his mind but once it was calmed my pride came back and I hid when he needed me the most… just like the chicken I am. You know it's better off that he has moved on finally. He can live his life and I can live mine and we can both be happy.”
 
Rei looked at Asuka confused again. That was not what she thought at all.
 
Asuka answered the look with “I know you two are just friends and I know why. But I can see how happy he gets when you smile while talking to him. And when he's around Keiko it's like he is a totally different person. But then again neither of you judges him like I do. Shinji is Shinji and you're happy with that. My stupid little mind always wanted more and screwed everything up. You know what the funniest thing is? He's growing up to be a handsome young man and I actually like to watch Misato tease him about it. She even has to look up as he is taller than her now. It just strikes me as funny somehow…And also a bit strange as he used to be only as tall as me and looking up at him sometimes weirds me out. But that should work in his favor and maybe he will now find someone who can appreciate him. I know other girls have noticed him and Mana even told him she loved him once. Whether she meant it or is just playing one of her silly games with him I don't know but it can't be worse than what I put him though.” Asuka then scoffed at herself “Asuka the uber bitch. The girl who single-handedly drove a boy that truly loved her away just because she was too proud of herself to admit that she might actually like him back…. Oh well, he's better off without me.”
 
Asuka didn't see it coming but she sure as hell felt it. A second slap right across her face. It was nothing like the one before. This one had emotion behind it, and it was harder too. She almost fell out of the chair. As she sat back up she yelled “What the hell was that for?! You looking for an ass kicking now?” But as she looked up she saw a pair of red eyes glaring intensely at her. If she didn't know better it looked like Rei was very angry with her.
 
In a voice that greatly shocked Asuka Rei said “How can you doubt him?”
 
Asuka had never heard this voice come from Rei before. It wasn't loud but there was force and feeling behind it. Apparently more than she guessed Rei would ever show. But as she looked at this newfound Rei her expression changed from angry to sadness as she dropped her head. “Easily… Before we used to fight all the time and the teasing was constant. Everyone could see what it meant. That was one of the reasons we always got called the newlyweds. But no one calls us that anymore. We don't even speak to one another unless there's someone else involved. It has even gotten to the point where he locks his door and hides to get away from my incessant nagging. Plus he doesn't even look at me anymore. I used to ride his ass all the time because I caught him doing that. Even last year he was still doing it. And after he got fired from his first job Misato told him to go hang out at school until he found a new one so the house would be quiet for Keiko's naptime. Where did he choose to hang out, the pool. He was up there watching me. I could tell he was watching me. I could feel it and you know what? It drove me to do better. But now Misato forces him to go there instead of him wanting to be there… and he can't wait for practice to be over now so he can get away. And those glasses he wears, he doesn't even use them to shield his eyes so I can't see him looking, he uses them to hide that he is sleeping… God I hate those stupid things!.. He… he just won't look at me anymore…” Asuka didn't notice but she was actually crying at this point. She looked up at Rei and said “I lost something I truly wanted and I did nothing to stop it.”
 
“Do you still care for him?” Rei asked.
 
“After everything we have been though how couldn't I?” Asuka cried softly “…but it's over now. I totally fucked up and blew it.”
 
“No” Rei told her. “He still looks at you.”
 
“No he doesn't!”
 
“Yes he does” Rei said back calmly. She then took a breath and explained something to Asuka. “To find the truth I had to learn to see beyond outer images. Over time I learned how to see a person's eyes even when they hid them behind a pair of glasses. Shinji's eyes are very easy for me to see because they never squint or even close. And he has never noticed me looking at him because his eyes are always pointed at you.”
 
“That's not true!” Asuka yelled back. “You saw what I did to him the other day. He almost fell off the bleachers he was so startled.”
 
“His actions were false. He was awake and watched your nose plugs the whole way.”
 
“No he wasn't!” Asuka screamed back.
 
Rei had to ask her “Why will you not believe me?”
 
“Because there's no reason for me to get my hopes back up. They will only be shattered again like every time else. I- I can't handle that anymore.”
 
Rei then asked “How can I make you believe me?”
 
Asuka was distraught in her emotions and could only answer by setting the bar so high she knew Rei could not reach it. “I will believe you when Shinji tells me that himself.”
 
“Then wait right here” Rei told her and made her way out of the apartment.
 
Asuka's jaw dropped to the floor. She couldn't believe it, Rei would never do anything so bold. `It must be a trick' she thought to herself. `She's just getting me back for all the rotten things I have said and done to her. I bet she is just standing outside that door waiting for me to run out… I have to give it to her, I didn't think she had it in her. But two can play this game.' Asuka then got up and picked up the book off the floor that Rei had been reading. She sat back down in the chair and opened it up. After a minute of reading she said to herself `So Rei is into sappy romance novels… Interesting.'
 
****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****
 
When Rei left the apartment she went straight over to the Katsuragi household. She knocked on the door and Misato answered with surprise as this was the first time Rei had ever come to her place. “Rei what are you doing here?.. Is something wrong?”
 
“No” Rei answered in her typical plain tone of voice. “I need Shinji to help me answer a question?”
 
“Oh..” Misato answered figuring this just had something to do with homework. “Wait right here then, I'll get him.” She walked over to the kitchen where Shinji was preparing dinner. “I think Rei needs some help with her homework, she's at the door.”
 
“That's odd” Shinji said. “Usually I'm the one asking for help with homework.” He then put a lid on the pot he was tending to and told Misato “The stew should be done in about a half hour. If I'm not back by then just turn the heat down to low… and don't add anything to it.”
 
When Rei, with Shinji in tow, returned they were greeted with a bragging “Hah, I knew you were bluffing. I didn't think you had it in …(it was at this point she noticed Shinji standing behind Rei)…… you…..” Asuka dropped the book she was holding and just sat there with her mouth hanging wide open in disbelief. Shinji was pretty much the same way as he tried to ask about a hundred questions as to why Asuka was here but never really got past the first word or two. Rei guided the confused boy over to the chair opposite of Asuka and had him sit down.
 
After letting the two look strangely at each other for a minute she asked her question “Shinji do you stare at Asuka during swim practice?”
 
That question caused a double face fault. It was one thing for Rei to actually bring Shinji over but totally another to go through with her actions and ask the question. This was simply too much for Asuka to handle. Shinji wasn't much better. He froze in his seat and said nothing. The only thing he moved was one of his hands and that was doing its weird nervous twitch thing. This was pretty much an involuntary twitch he had carried over from before and showed up whenever he was nervous or afraid. In fact the last time he displayed it was when Misato was in labor with Keiko, but right now it was going and Asuka noticed.
 
With very questioning eyes and in a tone not of anger or hatred but of intense quandary Asuka asked “Do you?” The only answer Asuka got was the pace of Shinji's twitch increased. She reached over and held his hand shut. “I'm not going to hit you or yell at you… I just want the truth?” Whether Shinji noticed or not there was a bit of desperation in the way Asuka asked that question.
 
Shinji sat there silent for a minute while Asuka simply looked at him waiting for an answer. There was nowhere for him to run to, he had to answer the question. He looked down and said “I'm sorry.”
 
This was not an answer either of the girls wanted. Asuka squeezed his hand harder and asked “What does “Sorry” mean?”
 
Shinji kept his head down while answering “I- I know you don't like me looking at you anymore, so I….”
 
“You mean all this time you have been still looking at me?” Asuka asked interrupting him. “But just the other day when I hit you with my nose plugs you were asleep.”
 
“I was just pretending to be so you wouldn't get angry at me” Shinji answered in a rather guilty way. He felt Asuka let go of his hand and watched as she relaxed back down into her chair. She didn't say a thing, she just sat there with a little smile on her face. And even stranger Rei had one too. This confused him immensely. The reaction he expected was a slap to the face and then Asuka calling him a hentai along with some other slanderous German names. His first thoughts now where since Asuka had let him go he should try to get away as there was no way in his mind that things were going to turn out good with this situation. But he didn't and he thought to himself that maybe he really did have a masochist side to him as he wanted to stay. There was just some small voice in his head that told him he needed to stay and that he needed to follow out this thing to the end. This was no time to be running away.
 
There was several minutes of silence before Asuka broke it with a request. “Shinji I want to ask you some questions. And I need you to tell me the truth.”
 
Shinji didn't answer this request and only stayed silent.
 
With a voice that was a mixture of desperation, pleading, and fear Asuka asked “Please Shinji. I… I don't know if I will ever be able to ask them again.”
 
This time Shinji nodded his head yes as he could tell this was important.
 
Also at this point Rei tried to leave. She was interested in the outcome but she wasn't sure if it was appropriate for her to be there.
 
That question in her head was answered by Asuka though as the girl reached out and stopped her. “I need a witness. Someone who will not let me forget what I'm about to ask him if my pride comes back and tries to make me disregard this whole thing.”
 
Rei looked back at Asuka and could tell she was almost begging her with her eyes to stay. She could tell Asuka really needed someone else to help her so she wouldn't back down and crawl back into her own little box. Rei nodded yes to Asuka and stood beside her while Asuka sat in the chair looking at Shinji.
 
Asuka took a couple calming breaths before she started her questioning of Shinji. The first one was “Does Misato really force you to sit in the pool area after school?”
 
Shinji shook his head no and answered “She just told me I couldn't come home till after your practices. She never said where I had to go. I only told people that as an excuse to be there.”
 
Asuka nodded her head at Shinji and asked her second question. “Why do you hide from me now?”
 
Shinji answered “Because you don't get mad at me anymore.”
 
Asuka looked at him funny as that answer didn't make any sense and she asked for a better explanation.
 
A bit of a pained expression came over Shinji's face as he didn't want to say this because it might get him in trouble but he said it anyway. “Whenever another girl used to talk to me you used to get mad at me instantly or tease me to no end about it. Now you don't do anything.”
 
Asuka's pride showed up at that point and she yelled “I did not!” before she could stop herself. Shinji had just made it sound like she was a jealous little schoolgirl with a crush on him.
 
In a calming voice Rei said while putting a hand on her shoulder “He is telling the truth.”
 
Asuka glared up at Rei for that but was met with truthful eyes. She calmed down a bit and got a questioning look on her face. “Was I really doing that?”
 
Rei nodded yes “The few times you came over to bug me last year was right after I had talked to Shinji.”
 
Asuka could only shake her head in astonishment. She had no clue she was like that. She looked over at Shinji “Sorry I guess….. I didn't realize I was doing that.”
 
“It's ok” Shinji replied before dropping his voice a bit. “You stopped doing it when you started dating again.”
 
That statement made Asuka feel like a complete louse. She basically had stomped all over him by the sound of it and in truth she didn't mean for it to come off like that. In fact she had only started dating again to get attention and whether she wanted to admit it or not it was attention from him she was seeking. This made her last question almost impossible to ask. She looked at him for several minutes trying to muster up the courage. “Shinji do you still lo…….” She stopped. She tried to ask it again but couldn't say it. She tried to ask it several more times but just couldn't spit that last word out. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer, or worse yet she might not be able to handle the answer. After much self regret she took the coward's way out and she knew it. “Shinji do you still like me?”
 
Asuka got an answer immediately but it was not from Shinji. “That's not the right question!”
 
“It's good enough” Asuka snapped back at the blue haired girl glowering at her.
 
Rei didn't budge as Asuka stared back at her, she only said “If you're not able to ask the question, I will.”
 
Asuka shouted “NO!!!” as loud as she could. “It won't mean anything if I can't even say it.”
 
“Then ask the question.” Rei demanded.
 
Shinji didn't know what to think or make of this situation. There were a million thoughts swirling around in his head and to make matters even stranger Asuka and Rei were both exhibiting very strange attitudes for who they were. Shinji was never good at dealing with sudden changes. Everything in his mind went quiet though when he heard Asuka ask in a small fragile voice “Shinji, do you still… love me?”
 
Shinji froze once again. His hand was twitching faster than Asuka had ever seen it go. She couldn't handle it and she tried to run away while crying “Forget I said anything…”
 
She only got a few feet away from the chair as Rei tackled her from behind and tried to pin her to the floor. “Get off of me.” Asuka cried.
 
“He hasn't answered yet.” Rei said back trying to keep Asuka down.
 
“I don't want to know. Just let me live in my own little world” Asuka yelled while crying. “It's better if we stay apart. I would only end up hurting him again.” Asuka then overpowered Rei and threw her off. She got back up on her feet and tried to run again but was stopped again by someone grabbing her wrist. She turned around and saw it was Shinji. “Please don't answer me” Asuka begged thru tears but Shinji didn't listen.
 
Shinji summed up every ounce of feeling, courage, and emotion he could and said “Yes.” He had to tell Asuka this. Every day he hid from this truth made his life more miserable and he didn't know if he could stand it anymore. There were times he felt like he was about to start crying in pain just by looking at her.
 
Asuka dropped to her knees and cried out “Why?” … “I only give you pain and suffering” … “I'm nothing” … “I don't deserve any of it.”
 
Shinji dropped down to his knees and looked at her through watery eyes of his own. “Because I can't forget this” and Shinji took Asuka's hand and placed it gently on his cheek. He then closed his eyes. His whole body went numb at the feeling. This is what he wanted more than anything else in the world.
 
Asuka could feel the warmth of his face. It was something she had forgotten. It was something she shouldn't of and at that moment a battle raged inside her mind and body. Part of her was saying it wanted this more than anything else in the world while another part was telling her to be strong. To resist these weak feelings. She didn't need anyone else but herself. He wouldn't be able to understand her. It was her pride talking and her pride always had a way of winning. Asuka ended up trying to pull her hand away from Shinji's cheek but she couldn't. Something inside of her was telling her no and something outside of her wasn't letting her do it. No matter how hard she tried to pull away Shinji wouldn't let her. He just sat there with his eyes closed and a look of peace and contentment on his face. It was at that moment that Asuka realized something very big. Shinji was stronger than her, not only physically but also emotionally. For someone her pride has always considered a wuss he was putting up a damn good fight otherwise. And as strong as her pride was she could clearly tell it didn't have a chance of winning this fight. That other voice, the small one coming from deep in her heart, was crying out too loudly to be silenced.
 
In a very small and weak voice Asuka asked one final question. “If I admit it to myself, will you be strong for the both of us and never let me forget it?”
 
Shinji opened his eyes and stared straight into Asuka's. “Yes.” Even if he was scared as he could be right now there was no way he could deny Asuka. Every fiber in his body was screaming out that he needed her more than he needed anything else in his entire life.
 
Asuka surrendered to her heart leaned forward while still sobbing and collapsed her body against his. She didn't have the strength to hold herself up anymore.
 
Shinji let go of her hand at this point to catch her. But something miraculous happened as Asuka never took her hand away and she kept it on his cheek. He then wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly.
 
Both of them stayed in that position for a long time, simply holding each other. Neither able to let go of the other. This felt so right it couldn't be wrong.
 
****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****
 
It had been an hour since Shinji had left and Misato was getting curious as to what was taking him so long. She wanted to go check on them herself but Keiko had decided to take a little nap on her chest when she sat down with her in the rocking chair a half hour ago. She was sort of stuck there until either Keiko woke up or someone came to give her a hand. About ten minutes later Kaji came through the door. He was just home from work and he could smell dinner. But unlike the normal routine the table wasn't set and no one was waiting at the table for him. The only person he saw was Misato sitting in the rocking chair signaling for him to come over there quietly. “Where are the other two?”
 
“Asuka went shopping and Shinji's over at Rei's doing some homework.” Misato answered getting up and handing a drowsy Keiko off to her daddy.
 
Keiko fully woke up by this action and found herself in her daddy's arms. She smiled at him with her cute baby smile and said “Dada pay?”
 
“Yes Keiko, your daddy will play with you now.” Misato then turned her attention over to Kaji. “Entertain her for a bit while I see what's taking Shinji so long.”
 
“Ok” Kaji answered and carried Keiko over to the corner of the living room where all of her toys were piled up. He sat down with her in his lap and picked up a teddy bear “Uh oh. Mr. Bear is going to hug you…”
 
When Misato went to grab the keys to Rei's apartment she noticed they were missing. Worse yet she noticed Asuka's keys were still there. She took off like a shot towards Rei's place but stopped halfway there. The situation didn't make any sense. Rei had come over herself to get Shinji and she was perfectly fine then. If Asuka didn't have the keys, who did? And why didn't Asuka have her own? These questions just led her back to her original thinking. Well there was only one way she was going to find out and she knocked on Rei's door. She heard Rei's voice inviting her to enter so she did. She blinked a couple times when she saw inside. Rei was in her usual place, one of her plush reclining chairs, reading a book. Curiously Shinji AND Asuka were there too. In fact they were there sitting on the floor right next to each other doing something she had not seen them do for a long time. They were talking to each other. Not arguing, not teasing, not yelling but simply talking. When the two looked up at her she asked with absolute confusion “What's going on???”
 
Rei answered for them. “Shinji and Asuka have decided to start dating each other.”
 
A big smile came over Misato's face and then she promptly fainted.
 
Misato woke back up with a wet cloth on her head while lying on the floor. “She will be fine now. Rei told the other two.
 
Misato though reached up and grabbed Rei by her collar, pulling her down towards her. “What did you just say?”
 
“That you will be fine.” Rei repeated a bit on the surprised side.
 
“No, before that.”
 
“I'm not sure what you are referring to?” Rei questioned nervously.
 
Misato sat straight up and pulled Rei even closer so they were face to face. “Don't mess with me child. You know exactly what I'm referring to.”
 
Misato saw a little smile come across Rei's face as she repeated herself. “Asuka and Shinji have decided to start dating each other.”
 
Misato let Rei go and ordered the other two over by her side. She looked at the both of them. “If this is part of some elaborate joke, I will kill the both of you with my bare hands.”
 
Asuka and Shinji both shook their heads no.
 
Misato then reached out and hugged the both of them. She was pretty much crushing them in the process because she was hugging them out of pure joy.
 
“You.. you can let go now…” Shinji grunted out.
 
“Do you know how much I have hoped and prayed that this would happen?” Misato cried out.
 
“Well it's not going to happen if you crush us to death first” Asuka groaned.
 
Misato gave the two of them one more big squeeze and then let them go. After she did that she asked a single question. “How?”
 
Both Shinji and Asuka blushed with Asuka saying bashfully “It's kinda private.”
 
“Too private to tell even me?” Misato asked with a little bottom lip quiver.
 
Both Asuka and Shinji looked at each other and came to the same conclusion. Asuka told Misato “No, but I don't think either one of us could explain it right now. It-it's still a bit overwhelming.”
 
From the other side of Shinji Rei said “If you wish to know what happened I can tell you?”
 
Misato quickly stood up, grabbed Rei by the hand, pulled her over to her table, and ordered “I want the full story and don't you dare even think about leaving anything out.”
 
“Yes ma'am” and Rei told her everything. Both Shinji and Asuka became terribly embarrassed as Rei left nothing out and was very honest with the facts. Along with being brutally honest she was meticulously detailed. Even though they had just lived it the story affected them. Just as Rei had gotten to the part where both Shinji and Asuka were on their knees embracing each other they heard Kaji yelling down the hall.
 
Misato stopped Rei for a second and walked over to the open door. She poked her head out the door and yelled “I'm a little busy right now. What do you need?”
 
“Keiko's got a dirty diaper” Kaji yelled back.
 
“Yeah, so change it.” Misato told him.
 
“But I…. Can't you come and do it?” Kaji asked, or more like pleaded.
 
“No” Misato yelled back. “I'm busy. Do it yourself. After all she's your daughter too” and Misato walked back into the apartment and sat down at the table and instructed Rei she may continue.
 
****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****
 
When Rei was finished Misato was very happy but Asuka whined “Did you have to tell her everything?”
 
Misato answered for Rei “Yes.” But she also added while pointing a finger at Asuka. “While I'm very happy at the outcome, you young lady are in big trouble.”
 
“What'd I do?” Asuka cried out.
 
“Did you or did you not come over here to hassle Rei when I explicitly told you not to? Also did you or did you not take a set of keys that didn't belong to you? And finally did you or did your not break one of Rei's lamps when you lost your temper?”
 
Asuka gulped while getting a guilty look on her face. Misato had her dead to right with the allegations and she didn't even have to tell Asuka what she expected from her as Asuka knew it. There was now consequences to Asuka's actions when she blew her top or did something wrong. Asuka slowly trudged over to Rei and she told her in a very small, almost unintelligible voice “I'm sorry.”
 
“Apology accepted” Rei told her. Rei was quite stressed herself over everything that had happened and this was a good end to it all.
 
This wasn't good enough for Misato though as she added “Rei you are way too lenient.” She looked over at Asuka “Not only are you grounded for a week but you will have to take Rei to the mall to buy her a new lamp. With your own money.”
 
Rei got a little worried at that and quickly said “That will not be necessary Mrs. Katsuragi. I will simply order a new one online and have it delivered.”
 
“Sorry Rei but my decision is final.”
 
“But I…” Rei tried to say but was stopped by a peculiar look she got from Misato. She didn't quite know what it was but something inside of her told her to shut up and accept it.
 
Misato then smiled and said “Good, now that everything is over with lets go back home. I'm starving.” She looked over at Rei “Would you like to come over for dinner?”
 
“No thank you” Rei answered. “I can prepare my own dinner.” Rei then walked over to a kitchen cabinet and took out a cup of instant noodles.
 
Asuka had a major problem with that. Now that Rei was on her team she was expected to be in top physical shape. And in order to be in top shape she had to eat right and those dreadful things weren't right. Asuka quickly informed Rei that she was to eat over at their place from now on so she could monitor Rei's eating habits and make sure she was eating correctly. Asuka also had many more conditions and she wasn't shy about spelling them out for the girl.
 
While Rei was listening to them with a bit of apprehension she heard Misato whisper into her ear “And you thought being on her bad side was scary.” Rei actually let out a little giggle which she quickly silenced and tried to hide as she put her hand over her mouth.
 
But unfortunately for Rei Asuka saw it. “Laugh while you can Blue. Because next week we start body conditioning in the weight room and I expect you to be there everyday after practice just like me.” Rei gulped nervously as she started to realize what she was getting in to. Asuka then turned her attention over to Shinji “You're going to be there too, right?”
 
“Me?” Shinji questioned.
 
Asuka smiled at him “Did I mention I bought a new body suit to work out in?” Shinji shook his head no. “Well I did. It's a really cute two piece suit. It is a pair of black lycra shorts with a dark red swimsuit type top. The bottom of the swimsuit is more like a thong than a real bottom but that is what the shorts are for. So are you going to be there?”
 
The nod from Shinji's head was a very definite yes. Asuka plus tight clothing was a sight his eyes simply refused to turn down.
 
****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****
 
As the four entered the Katsuragi household they heard some very loud gagging coming from the baby's room. Then a green faced penguin streaked across the place straight for the bathroom. Misato had to grumble about how for someone who had no problem being some kind of super spy and all the disgusting things that came with that, Kaji was absolutely worthless when it came to changing diapers. She looked over at Asuka “Go give him a hand would ya?”
 
Asuka went off towards the baby's room and the second after she got there they heard a “Thank God” followed by Kaji making a quick exit from the room. After he got his composer back he saw they had a guest. “Well hello there Rei. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company.”
 
“I am to eat over here from now on.” She answered him politely.
 
“Ahhhhh…. Did I miss a memo or something?” Kaji asked and since he was looking rather perplexed Misato filled him in.
 
“Ok here's what is going on. First Rei made the swim team but you already know that. Second, she turned out to be a very good swimmer and made it onto Asuka's relay team. This led to number three, the two girls had to work out their differences. Gladly they did and as a result Rei will be eating over here from now on so Asuka can make sure she is eating right. Four, Asuka and Shinji are now dating. Five, Asuka did something I told her not to and is grounded for a week. And finally six. Asuka broke one of Rei's lamps so she has to take her to the mall this weekend and buy her a new one.”
 
“Good to know” Kaji replied with a nod of his head.
 
Asuka came out carrying a freshly changed Keiko. “Is that all you are going to say?”
 
“No” he replied. “But I will save the rest for later when our guest is gone.” Neither Asuka or Shinji liked the sound of that. Kaji was still a fun loving and care free guy but given the right motivation he was very capable of becoming a father figure. This sadly sounded like one of those times.
 
Asuka quickly tried to change the conversation. “Keiko this is Rei Ayanami. Can you say Rei?”
 
Keiko looked at the blue haired girl strangely. To Rei it was almost like this child was studying her. She started to become very nervous and self conscience. Rei was much more used to being in the background and not really noticed. Now she was suddenly the center of attention.
 
After much prodding from Asuka, Keiko finally said “Ra Ra.”
 
Rei tried to correct her “No, it is Rei” but Keiko just repeated herself “Ra Ra.” This time reaching out for her. Rei practically jumped back in fright. She wanted nothing to do with babies. She was nervous enough just being around one so there was no way she was going to hold one.
 
“C'mon” Asuka said holding out Keiko. “She's not going to bite.”
 
“Oh yes she does.” Misato pointed out quickly and took Keiko from Asuka and put her in her highchair so the others could sit down to eat.
 
Asuka smirked at her “Well at least nowhere that we have to worry about.”
 
“Make fun of it while you can” Misato told her. “I have a feeling someday you will know exactly what I mean.” Asuka just answered her with a smug and sassy look. Misato raised one eyebrow and added “And besides if Rei is uncomfortable holding Keiko right now you shouldn't push her onto Rei. It's not like she's the only girl in the house who was like that.”
 
“I was not” Asuka quickly retorted.
 
“Please” Misato scoffed and looked over at Rei. “For the first two months of Keiko's life Asuka wouldn't go near her she was so scared.”
 
“That's a lie” Asuka protested.
 
“No it's true” Shinji said. “I used to use Keiko as a shield so I wouldn't get teased.”
 
Asuka looked over at Shinji and gave him a bit of the evil eye as she informed everyone. “That's not true. It's just that she was so small and fragile I didn't want to do something to accidentally hurt her.”
 
“Yeah right.” Shinji teased back.
 
Asuka wasn't going to take this and she let out a very conceited “Uh huh.”
 
Shinji answered with “Uh uh.” And they went back and forth at each other with these words. Kaji and Misato had to smile at it as it had been a long time since either of them had seen the two argue teasingly at each other. Rei even had to smile a little. Even Keiko was having fun. Both Shinji and Asuka were using play voices so she recognized it as a game. Her head was going back and forth while the two jabbed at each other. It was her giggling that distracted the two from their little game and they realized there was an audience. Both of them blushed with embarrassment.
 
****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****
 
A little later during dinner Asuka noticed Rei was picking at her stew. “You have to eat the meat too. You need the protein to build muscle.”
 
“Meat makes me ill.” Rei replied back.
 
“How in the world can meat make you sick?” Asuka questioned.
 
Kaji interrupted the two as he knew something that most of the others didn't involving this issue. “Actually it's true. Meat truly did make Rei sick in the past but I doubt it should be a problem anymore.”
 
Rei looked at Kaji questioningly. “I was not aware you knew that about me.”
 
“Oh there are plenty of things that I know that I'm not supposed to. That's one of the main reasons everyone wanted me gone.” He then looked over at Rei “You wouldn't happen to know whom that nice little old lady who was feeding the strays before she shot me was working for at the time? She pretty much had the same ties as me so it could have been Nerv, SEELE, or the JSSDF.” Rei simply nodded her head yes. At first Kaji didn't understand which one she was saying yes to until he figured it out “You mean all of them?” Rei nodded her head yes again. Kaji laughed to himself “Well I guess I burned a few too many bridges doing my investigation.”
 
He got a little glance from Misato for that. She was still a little miffed about him going and getting himself shot so easily. And the fact that he seemed proud that he got so many people mad at him didn't make her too happy either. Kaji caught the message of `change the topic' very quickly and he said to Rei “Well anyways… You should be able to eat that meat now. I doubt it will upset you.”
 
“But Dr. Akagi said my body was not able to process meat properly.”
 
“Trust me Rei, Ritsuko said a lot of things that weren't true” Misato told her. “I'm sure that by now one of the main things she said about you is not true.” Rei got a little embarrassed by that statement as she knew what Misato was referring to. It was a rather routine cycle that all women share in common and proof that she was a real one now.
 
Asuka was amazed at that as she wondered out loud “Dr. Akagi created a pill that could stop that?”
 
Misato regretfully nodded yes. “Ritsuko created all sorts of pills to do things she wanted and to make people more controllable.”
 
“And one of the so called side effects of the ones you were taking Rei messed up your enzymes and amino acids making it hard for you to process meat.” Kaji added.
 
Asuka then smiled at Rei and said “Eat up. You definitely need the protein.”
 
Rei picked up a piece of the stew meat with her chopstick and looked at it for a second. She wasn't quite sure about eating it. In the past she had always just assumed Dr. Akagi was right and avoided meat. But what Misato had said about her own body's processes was true too. She weighed the decision in her mind carefully. Misato and Kaji were much more likely to be telling her the truth than Dr. Akagi so she decided to try the piece of meat between her chopsticks. She took a little nibble and found it was appetizing. She then waited a minute or two to see if her stomach grumbled or not. When it didn't and she felt perfectly fine she ate the rest of the piece.
 
****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****
 
When dinner was done Rei offered to pay back the hospitality she was shown by helping with the dishes. Misato said she didn't have to but Rei insisted so she let Rei help her. Misato then told Kaji it was time for Keiko to go down for the night. Kaji got the message that Misato wanted to talk to Rei and it would be easier with fewer distractions around so he picked up Keiko and played with her in her room for a bit until she was tired. Shinji and Asuka were over in the living room sitting on the couch watching TV together. They weren't sitting right next to each other on the couch but the fact they were on it together pleased Misato. She was actually watching the two when Rei handed her a cup, which got dropped in the sink.
 
The clank startled Misato back to attention and she heard “I apologize Mrs. Katsuragi. If the glass is broken I will replace it.” Misato smiled at Rei. “Don't worry about it. The cup is fine. With a little one around my collection of dinner wear is mainly things I don't mind losing. And in the future just call me Misato.”
 
“But that would not be proper” Rei said back.
 
“Well I ain't exactly a proper girl” Misato smiled at her “So you can get away with it.” Rei nodded her head yes at Misato. Misato then took an extended look at Rei while she dried a cup. “You know, I see a lot of me in you.” Rei could only respond with a questioning look. “Where you told about the Katsuragi expedition?”
 
Rei nodded her head yes.
 
“Did they tell you I was the only survivor of it?”
 
Rei nodded her head yes again.
 
After a small sigh Misato asked “Did they tell you anything else about me?”
 
This time Rei shook her head no.
 
This was typical operating procedure for Nerv, tell people only the basics of a situation and not the personal ramifications of it. “After Second Impact I was scarred more than just physically. Emotionally it was to the point where I refused to speak for several years. I locked myself in a very cold and lonely world and wouldn't come out. I missed out on so much during that point in my life and I truly wish I could have those days back. So when I look at you sometimes it looks to me like you are doing the same thing.”
 
Rei was caught off guard by all of this. She had always viewed Misato like she did Asuka, a polar opposite. But that simply wasn't true, Misato, even though she was different now, used to be very similar to her.
 
Misato continued after another reflective breath. What she was saying was a bit hard for her. “I know you're uncomfortable around others and have troubles trusting them. And considering your background it's to be expected and it's not your fault in the least. But please listen to me when I tell you this, you need to let people at least be in your life. You need to be a little more open. I don't want you making the same mistakes I did in shutting off the world. It only leads to some very bad insecurities and regrets that can ruin your life. It almost did mine. You're a seventeen year old girl and I wouldn't mind seeing you act like one.” Misato then did something that caught Rei completely by surprise. She hugged her.
 
Rei was very uncomfortable but more in her thoughts than in the hug. For some reason the hug felt reassuring. It was her thoughts that were sending her weird signals. Hugs like this were hinged on trust and she wasn't sure if she was ready to trust Misato to this level. In all her life she had only trusted two people to the level that Misato was indicating. The first betrayed that trust and revealed his true intentions that she was just a tool to achieve his own personal goals. This had hurt her more than anything else in her life and was one of the main reasons she shied away from others. To trust another person meant to risk being hurt again. The flip side to this was the other person she trusted. He turned out to be a true friend who really did care about her. He was someone who had and would help her in her transition to a true life and what more, he trusted Misato. And Shinji wasn't someone who would just go around trusting anyone he met. She was certainly going to have to think about this but before she could make up her mind Misato let her go.
 
Misato looked at Rei and smiled while saying “Just keep that in mind.”
 
Rei looked back and studied Misato for a second. There was a reassuring sincerity to Misato's face. Rei let a warm smile flow over her face and said softly “I will.”
 
****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****
 
After Rei had left Kaji walked over to the couch and sat down between Asuka and Shinji. He put his arms around the both of them and displayed a little grin. Misato walked up and took the remote from Asuka and turned the TV off. Both teens let out a collective groan. They knew this was coming. In fact Misato and Kaji probably already had planned everything they were going to say. It didn't mean that the two wanted to hear it though.
 
Kaji started. “So what exactly is going to be the nature of your relationship?”
 
Both of them blushed and didn't want to answer but Misato said “We're not going to judge. We just want to know what to expect.”
 
“Nothing” Shinji answered with Asuka adding on “We want to be around each other first. There's still so many things we need to talk about.”
 
“And could you not say anything?” Shinji asked. “We want to get used to be close without the pressure of being linked together.”
 
Misato let out a big “Whew!” … “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I was kinda afraid you two were going to end up in the sack tonight.”
 
“What!!” Asuka shouted.
 
Kaji then handed Shinji a condom and made him put it in his wallet while telling him “Just in case.” Shinji reacted to this just like how you would expect. A head to toe blush.
 
Asuka got her turn too as Misato placed her hand on Asuka's shoulder. “And about you Asuka.”
 
“I already know what you are going to say” Asuka interrupted .“And I will start getting those stupid shots but on one condition.”
 
“And what is that?” Misato asked raising an eyebrow.
 
“That you please stop this.” Asuka begged.
 
“But what we are doing is very important” Misato told her.
 
“Yes but it's also the kind of pressure we don't want.” Asuka told her with Shinji meekly adding on “We're not ready for it yet.”
 
Misato and Kaji looked at each other and both decided that this little talk of theirs probably could wait. “Ok” Misato told them. “But when we think we should we will continue this talk, understand?”
 
Both Asuka and Shinji nodded a greatly relieved yes to that.
 
Misato then pushed Kaji over a bit and sat down right between him and Asuka. She turned the TV back on and asked “So what are we watching?”
 
“WE” Asuka said with great emphasis on the word while looking at Shinji “Were watching Funniest Home Videos.”
 
“I love that show” Misato exclaimed. “Now we can all watch it together.”
 
Asuka and Shinji were both thinking about saying something about Misato not picking up on Asuka's hint but when they looked at the smile on Misato's face they couldn't. This was clearly something Misato was very happy about so they decided the talk they were having could wait till later. Right now it was family time. And a couple minutes later it was the whole family as Keiko did not appreciate going down early and only slept for a bit before letting everyone know she wasn't happy. Soon it was Shinji on one end of the couch, Asuka on the other with Kaji and Misato in the middle while Keiko was on her mommy's lap. PenPen was even there too as he sat down against the front of the couch.
 
(A/N: I Re-re-edited. Changed a few words around. Fixed some grammar. Broke up some of the bigger blocks of text. And expounded on some parts to make them clearer. Basically gave this a good once over to improve its quality.)